Video summary
The Pikeville Police Department has welcomed three new officers, two of whom were interviewed to share their backgrounds and motivations for joining the force. One officer, who previously served four years in the Marine Corps, faced a temporary barrier when tattoo regulations prevented his immediate application; however, once those rules changed, he was eager to submit his paperwork. His journey into law enforcement was influenced by his mother's medical work, which sparked an early desire to help others, but he eventually discovered that criminal justice was his true calling after college professors encouraged him to pursue a police career. Another new officer, Ramsay, is drawn to the investigative aspects of policing, specifically hoping to engage in forensic tasks like blood spatter analysis based on her science-focused college studies. A third officer expressed deep satisfaction in serving the community he grew up in, noting that the role offers both personal reward and valuable opportunities to interact with diverse groups of people he has not met before.
In a separate legal update from Paintsville, a 58-year-old man named Michael Compton was arrested and charged with two misdemeanors: prostitution and loitering for prostitution. Police officers observed Compton parked near a Speedway gas station early Sunday morning after a store clerk reported that he had been there most of the night purchasing various gift cards, including Xbox cards. Upon arrest, Compton admitted to buying these cards specifically to exchange them for sexual acts and provided officers with text conversations from the Grinder app that detailed arrangements involving money and gift cards in return for sex. Following his arrest, he was released from jail on his own recognizance while facing these misdemeanor charges.
The broadcast also covered local sports achievements and upcoming events, highlighting victories by Pikeville and Martin County teams in the state soccer tournament before they travel to Louisville to conclude the competition. The program provided details on future live coverage of high school football games, including an eighth-grade night matchup between Pikeville and Hazard, with reminders for viewers to tune in via Facebook and the Mountaintop TV app. Additionally, a promotional segment featured attorney Ned Pillarsdorf advocating for vulnerable individuals and at-risk children, followed by an advertisement for Appalachian Wireless that emphasized their 5G network, local customer service, and device savings.
Cultural highlights included a photography exhibit titled "Appalachian Beautiful" hosted at the Appalachian Center for the Arts this weekend. Photographer Malcolm J. Wilson captured nearly eighty women from the region to showcase their strength, stories, and beauty, aiming to elevate the outside perception of Eastern Kentucky by challenging stereotypes. Executive Director Shannon Kurpatre Daniels explained that the gallery serves as a mirror to the community's true diversity, moving away from clichéd images like "hillbillies" to reveal the unique narratives of local residents. The event will include a reception where attendees can meet the women featured in the photographs, and the center plans to host similar galleries in the future to continue highlighting the rich artistic perspectives within Appalachia.
Read the full video transcript
We'll meet some of the new officers at
Pikeville Police Department and a
Prestonburg man is arrested for
prostitution in Paintsville. I'm Nick
Colum and this is the Mountaintop Daily.
Pikeville Police Department has some new
officers. Robin spoke with a couple of
them to learn about their expectations
for their new positions.
The Pikeville Police Department has
three new officers. We had a chance to
speak with two of them today.
>> First got out of uh high school. I
joined the military. Um went and did
four years in the Marine Corps. Soon as
I got out, I tried to apply here. The
tattoo regulations were still in place
at that time and I did not meet the
requirements because of that. So, I went
into the medical field. Ended up getting
burned out on that cuz it wasn't really
truly what I wanted to do. I applied to
Virginia State Police. I was in their
process for a little bit until Pikeville
dropped their tattoo regulations. The
next day, I was in that front lobby
submitting an application. When I was
younger, uh my mother used to do a lot
of medical work and I'd get to see a lot
of what she did. And I guess it kind of
influenced me to want to help people and
I kind of ended up figuring out that the
medical field wasn't for me. So after
going to college, I kind of figured out
that criminal justice was something I
was extremely interested in. I talked to
a couple of the professors there. They
convinced me that coming to the police
department was a good idea. I dipped
into it more. Ended up liking it and
loved it ever since.
>> Ramsay is hoping to learn more about the
investigative side of police work.
>> Well, I started in college here and I
kind of went into the science side of
criminal justice and I kind of wanted to
come here and maybe eventually dip into
that, try to do like maybe blood swatter
analysis, stuff like that cuz that's
what that's what I took in college. Dodd
is already enjoying being of service to
the community he grew up in.
>> I'll say it's very rewarding. Um, not
only because I get to help the community
that I've, you know, was raised in, but
I also get to
learn more about it and interact with
people that I've never interacted with
before.
>> Reporting for Mountaintop News, I'm
Robin Tilman.
>> A Preston man is facing misdemeanor
charges after Paysville police say he
admitted exchanging gift cards for sex.
Police say an officer spotted
58-year-old Michael Compton parked near
a Speedway gas station shortly before 6
Sunday morning. A store clerk reportedly
told police Compton had been there much
of the night and had made several
purchases of Xbox and other gift cards.
According to police, Compton admitted he
bought the gift cards to exchange for
sex and showed officers conversations on
the Grinder app, discussing money and
gift cards in exchange for sex. Compton
was arrested and charged with
prostitution and loitering for
prostitution. Both charges are
misdemeanors. He was later released from
jail on his own recgnizance. Coming up
after the break, a photography exhibit
in Pikeville this weekend puts area
women in their best light. We'll tell
you about Appalachin Beautiful when the
Mountaintop Daily continues. But first,
sports and weather.
>> Oh, you you usually count me down from
five. Five, four, THREE.
>> What's up everybody? I'm Jackson Lucas
and this is your Mountain Top Sports
Recap. Mountain Top Sports would like to
congratulate both Pikeville and Martin
County for their home wins in the all
soccer state tournament. [music]
Both teams are set to travel to
Louisville to finish out the tournament.
We've had to switch up our normal weekly
schedule. [music] Sideline with Zack
Acres and Denny Pal will be tonight at
6:30 with special guest Donnie Berdine.
Verdine has the East Ridge Warriors
rolling to a 4-1 record. [music]
Thursday night, we will have live
coverage of a pipeful eighth grade night
versus Hazard. The events before kickoff
start at 6 p.m., but [music] game time
is 7:30. Both events will be live on
Facebook and our free Mountaintop TV
app. That's your [music] Mountaintop
Sports Recap. For the latest in sports,
be sure to follow Mountain Top Sports on
Facebook, Instagram, and X, or visit
mountain-topsports.com.
Ned Pillarsdorf fights for the underdog
in courtrooms where he advocates for the
most vulnerable and in classrooms where
at risk kids get a second chance.
Ned doesn't [music] just talk about
things. Ned shows up and people notice.
He's the best pro bono attorney in the
nation.
Now he's bringing his fight to
Washington.
I'm Ned Pillarsdorf and I approve this
message.
Great savings on devices you want, an
[music] advanced 5G network built to
keep you connected and local customer
service that's here when you need us.
Yep, that's the Appalachin Wireless
difference. Are [music] you ready for a
better wireless experience? Visit your
Appalach retail location today for great
[music] savings on the latest devices
backed by an advanced 5G network and
local service that you can count on. We
have more [music] reasons to switch and
more ways to save because we are you. We
are Appalachin Wireless.
>> The Appalachin Center for the Arts is
hosting a photography exhibit this
weekend called Appalachin Beautiful. In
it, photographer Malcolm J. Wilson
photographed nearly 80 women from around
the region. I went down to the app today
to learn more about it. On Saturday,
September 26, beginning at 4 p.m., the
Appalachin Center for the Arts is
partnering with photographer Malcolm J.
Wilson for the upcoming Appalachin
Beautiful Photograph Gallery. Nearly 80
local women will be showcased in their
best light to represent who they are and
where they come from as a means to
elevate the outside perception of
Eastern Kentucky. Executive Director
Shannon Kurpatre Daniels tells us more.
These pictures show incredibly strong
women. Um, women with stories. You can
tell through Malcolm's photography. Um,
any photography that he does, it it
tells a story and to be able to see them
in this light um with that strength and
that beauty. Um, it's just it's really
cool to see his perspective. And then
also at the reception, uh, we'll be able
to see and meet some of the women that
were photographed. um and they all um
you know have stories and and they're
going to be um wonderful people to talk
to and and learn about.
>> The app is looking into hosting other
galleries similar to this in the future.
They find the concept to be both
important and unique.
>> Our community knows that um people from
Eastern Kentucky aren't the
stereotypical people from Eastern
Kentucky. the way that um a lot of
people see us as, you know, um
hillbillies or or or uh people like
that. And so to be able to showcase um
these different types of art and
different perspectives um I think is a
very interesting um and important idea,
right? Because there are so many
different types of people here in
Appalachia, all with a unique story. And
so the more that we can bring that into
the app, um the more we can highlight
what our community truly is and give a a
good mirror to what our community is. Um
and so we're happy to have uh Malcolm's
work here and and we we love that we can
showcase that type of art and we'd love
to have more types like that um in the
future.
>> That will do it for this edition of the
Mountaintop Daily. Be sure to check us
out at 6 p.m. every weekday on
Mountaintop TV, the Mountaintop TV app,
and the Mountaintop News Facebook page.
With your Mountaintop Daily, I'm Nick
Colum for Mountaintop News.